


Advanced Collegiate Espionage

by wittyno



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Jeff and Annie go on a caper, heist homage, repercussions of paradigms, some worries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29464881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wittyno/pseuds/wittyno
Summary: Greendale is in grave danger. Annie and Jeff team up to save Greendale. A caper that will lead them straight into the heart of City College.A Heist homage. Set somewhere in s3.
Relationships: Annie Edison/Jeff Winger, Jeff Winger & the Study Group
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Advanced Collegiate Espionage

**Author's Note:**

> A huge thank you to the incomparable Amrywiol for beta-ing. Go read Parallel Affairs. Another thank you to the Community Discord server's fanfic channel. Comments and Kudos are encouraged.

Annie tapped her pen against the spiral of her notebook, waiting for Professor Benedict to start class. She usually enjoyed Managing Behavior, but Benedict’s wife had left him a couple of weeks ago for a guy named Donny Sea, and he had been drinking ever since. This was the fourth class in a row where the good professor had wheeled in a T.V. and put on the latest episode of House MD, only to put his head down on his desk and fall asleep. Annie had been understanding the first week, but this was getting ridiculous. She needed her education and she was paying for the credit.

Bile rose in her throat as Jeff’s voice rang out from the depths of her subconscious. “Annie, I think you’re reading into some things.”

Last semester Jeff had humiliated her in front of the entire study group. He had made her out to be some love-struck teenager. The memory of his face set in lines of incredulity and pity made her stomach cramp. At first, she had been defensive, Jeff was failing her standards. As months passed doubt and shame seeped in through the cracks. Maybe she had been imagining things? Maybe Jeff had been humoring her while sleeping with Britta?  Maybe she was just his kid sister that he went on adventures with? Maybe he was ashamed of her?  Annie tried to ignore the biting pain of these questions, as they hollowed her out from the inside. 

Luckily, the news hadn’t leaked to anyone else, probably because the seven of them didn’t have friends outside of the study group. 

As Annie contemplated reporting Professor Benedict, the loudspeaker sounded.

“Annie Edison please report to the dean’s office,” it blared. Her pen clattered to the floor and her cheeks flushed, Annie had never been called to the dean’s office before. She rose, collected her books and spared one look for Benedict, who was passed out cold on his desk. Dread built in her stomach as she neared the dean’s office. She hadn’t broken any school rules. Had the dean heard her confession in the study room and now he was calling her to scold her? Another person telling her she was just some silly little girl with her heads in the cloud? 

“Annie, there you are, come in.” The dean beckoned her into his tiny office. The amount of dalmatians  memorabilia  seemed to have tripled since the last time she’d visited. She sat down nervously at the dean’s desk. “I need your help with a top-secret mission,” he said, his voice filled with nervous energy. Annie’s stomach unclenched. “I think dean Spreck is planning something. Don’t ask how I know. Let’s just say a little doggy told me.” He smiled conspiratorially. Annie sat up straighter, her interest peaked.

“What do you think he’s planning?” Annie pulled out her notebook to take notes. The dean huffed.

“I don’t know!” Annie fought the urge to roll her eyes. The dean hurried on, “I know he keeps detailed notes. You should have seen the notes he took when we… never mind. If he was planning something it would be in his notebook, which he keeps in a safe in his office.” 

“You think dean Spreck is planning something nefarious and you want me to break into his office and steal it?” The impact of her words only hit Annie after she said them. The dean wanted her to break into another school. Her chest constricted. Sure, she had bent a school rule here or there, but commit a crime? It wouldn’t be her first. The only reason that Annie wasn’t wearing an orange jumpsuit was because her mom was friends with the assistant district attorney and agreed not to prosecute her, and this combined with Doctor Catton's embarrassment over his lax security system meant she'd escaped prosecution . Annie never stole again, but she kept her lock picks in her backpack. What if the lock on her locker got stuck?

“Yes, you weren’t my first choice but everyone else including Jeffery said no…” Annie tried to conceal that being the dean’s last option hurt.

“I am not breaking into City College.” Annie said, hoping that her smooth tone was convincing enough. She was already working on the problem. How many doors and windows did Spreck’s office have? Annie forced herself to put her notebook back in her bag, which only made the itch worse.

“You wouldn’t be breaking in. They have an open house for prospective spring students next Thursday.” Like that made it any better. “I’ll make it worth your while. Free GPA boost, priority registration, parking space, I know this cute guy at my local coffee shop.” Annie scrunched up her face in disgust. 

“No, I don’t want any of that and please stop.” 

“Annie, please I am begging you.” The dean’s genuine plea reflected in his wide eyes, filled to the brim with terror. He looked like he was going to sink to his knees and beg.

“You think Spreck wants to ruin Greendale?” Annie inquired. It’s not like Spreck hadn’t tried before. Much like the dean, Spreck had a flair for the dramatic. Ice cream cone costume and all.

“Call it dean-tuition.” Annie rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. If the dean was right, then Greendale was in danger. If the dean was wrong… priority registration would mean she could construct the perfect schedule. An air tight schedule that would allow no time for six foot four distractions. It would be a welcome distraction from the mess of her life. Annie stood up, straightened, and checked her watch. Classes were over and she needed to leave now if she wanted to make study group on time. Annie picked up her backpack. Greendale needed saving and priority registration would be the cherry on top. 

“I’ll do it.” Annie hurried out of the office. Being late to study group would only invite more unwanted and intrusive questions into her life. She raced to the study room but stopped just short of the glass doors - she only had a week to complete her plan. Annie jumped as she heard Shirley’s sugar coated voice ring out behind her.

“Hi honey, aren’t you going in?” Annie looked down.

“Oh yeah, sure.” She sat down at her regular spot and started setting up her school supplies. The rest of them trickled in. Before they had found out about him and Britta, whenever Jeff came late to study group he would throw Annie a small half-crooked smile. It wasn’t an apology. It was the non-verbal version of “Milady” and she would smile back “Milord”, and all would be right with the world. These days, however, he just avoided her all together. It made her want to scream. What gave Jeff the right to avoid her? Annie hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“You know Annie, there is this nice young man at my church that would be…” Annie clenched her fists under the table, but managed a smile.

“Thanks Shirley, but I’m not looking for…”

“It was just a suggestion.” Shirley’s sweet voice had her trademark guilt inducing tone. Annie wanted to cry and stomp her foot in frustration, but she knew that would only reinforce what everyone already thought about Little Annie Adderall. She knew Shirley meant well, but she also knew that Shirley, like the rest of the group, thought she was a silly little girl who had just latched onto the first man she saw. She looked down at her notes, hoping the ground under her would open and swallow her whole.

“Annie, what are you doing?” Jeff asked. She looked up at him. For the first time in a while, he was looking at her. It made the butterflies in her stomach flutter in time with her heartbeat. Her stomach flooded with ice as she remembered his words, “I think you’re just reading into some things”.

“Studying. This is a study group, remember.” Her tone was harsher than she meant to be. She picked up her purple highlighter and went to work.

“You’re pathological.” She ignored him. The rest of the group was silent. Shirley, seeing an opportunity to insert herself, pulled out her phone and showed around pictures of baby Ben.

The rest of the group continued to chat, but Annie’s mind narrowed on the mission the dean assigned her. She knew she couldn’t pull it off alone. Too many variables and someone needed to be the lookout. She looked around at them all. Shirley was off the table. She had proven herself to be a badass and a brilliant partner, but Annie didn’t think she could stomach more passive aggressive comments about her love life. Pierce was out for obvious reasons. Troy could not keep a secret to save his life. Abed would turn this into one of his movie homages. Annie turned to Britta and caught Britta looking at her. Britta looked worried, as if Annie was about to combust and Britta was looking for a way to avoid the fallout. Annie wanted to scream. What right did Britta have to look worried? Britta had slept with Jeff, endangering their group’s fabric. All Annie had done was expose their relationship for what it was. 

She didn't like it, but the more Annie thought about it, the only genuine option she had was Jeff. She didn’t want to do this, but he was the best choice: good under pressure, able to lie at the drop of a hat, and could keep a secret. Unfortunately, the idea of spending any alone time with Jeff scared her. Every time she looked back on the past year filled with conspiracy theories, political debates, and bottle episode. Memories she used to cherish, but now they left a bitter taste in her mouth. How could she have been so stupid? Of course Jeff didn’t care about her. The meeting ended when Shirley had to go home to feed Ben, and the rest of them wanted to start their weekend early. She got up, packed up her stuff. 

“Hey Annie, you want to come watch the director’s cut of Kick Puncher?” Abed asked. 

“I can’t this weekend. I’m sorry.” Annie said, her mind already elsewhere. She headed out the door. She didn’t want to go home yet. Dildopolis was having a flash sale and Annie needed silence and a whiteboard. When she was back in their old Spanish classroom, she pulled out her phone and texted Jeff.

Annie : I need to talk to you. Meet me in Spanish. 

Annie stuffed her phone back into her bag to keep herself from checking for a response. She found paper towels and cleaned the whiteboard.  It came naturally to her -  in high school she always used to stay after class and clean off her teacher’s whiteboard. Wiping away that day’s lesson had always given her a reprieve from whatever torment her classmates had dreamt up that day. The door creaked open and Annie spun around. Jeff leaned against the doorway and gave her his crooked smile.

“Milady.” Jeff’s tone was light and laced with his trademark snark. Annie ignored him and turned back to the whiteboard. Jeff would not pull her back in. 

“Close the door.” She heard him close the door and sit down on the teacher’s desk. “I talked to the dean today.”  Jeff's lips formed a smirk.

“Did he try to get you to edit  _ Time Desk _ again?”

“No. He told me about Spreck…” The smirk slipped off his face.

“Oh, no Annie, please tell me you didn’t get sucked into the dean’s crazy?” Anger flared inside her.  _ Here we go again. _ Once again she was the stupid teenager full of airhead fantasies.

“The dean said Greendale is at stake.” She bit out. Jeff just sighed. 

“Annie, he’s catastrophizing.” His tone was soft. Annie could feel the pity radiating off him. She wanted to yell that she was an adult too. That she could make her own decisions and he could leave whenever he wanted, but that didn’t seem very adult. She stomped down the hot coals of her anger.

“Maybe, but it’s Greendale. City College is having an open house next week. That is going to be our in.”

“I don’t think the dean’s office is part of the tour.”

“So what?”

“That’s trespassing, Annie.”

“We’ll just say we got lost.”

“On our way to what?” Jeff shook his head. “I haven’t even said yes to this insane idea of yours.”

“Fine. Don’t help save Greendale. I’m capable of doing this alone.” That probably wasn’t true, but Jeff didn’t need to know that.

“I didn’t say…”Jeff huffed. “Fine.” He stood up and came to stand next to her, their sides touching. Annie took a sideways step.  _ Don’t get sidetracked, Edison. _ She took a deep breath.

“According to City College’s website, the architectural firm of Linus and Rusty built the school. They would have copies of the blueprints. You charm the receptionist while I slip in the back.”

“So, I am  bait and distraction ?”

“Get used to it, brother.” Annie looked down at her watch. “We have about two hours before closing.” Their eyes met. Jeff’s eyes sparked with humor, and Annie felt the familiar pull. Jeff was threatening to drag her under again.

“Is this just another opportunity to get close to me?”

* * *

“Is this just another opportunity to get close to me?” Annie’s eyes widened and Jeff wished he could cram the words back into his mouth. How did she do it? How did she make him feel like an ass every time? A flash of hurt bloomed in her eyes, but he blinked, and it vanished. He expected her to yell at him. Her nostrils flaring, blue flames dancing in her eyes, ready to tear him a new one. Instead, she just shouldered her backpack and walked out the door, only to turn back and call. “Meet me at your car in half an hour.” 

It would have been better if she had yelled at him or pelted him with her purple pens. Anything was better than her turning her back on him. He stood up from the teacher’s desk and made his way down the halls of Greendale.

Why was he doing this again? If anyone found out, he could lose his chance at getting his license back. His eyes caught the golden glint in Greendale's only trophy case. Jeff walked up to the trophy case and stared down at the framed news article. It wasn’t the article itself that interested him. The picture was taken right after Annie kissed him. His mind emptied. The world went fuzzy. The touch of her lips and the feel of her hips anchoring him there. Annie gently pushed away from him. The kiss ended and the fog in his mind slowly dissipated. All he could think was “more”. 

The desire for more of Annie Edison preyed upon his deepest thoughts and dreams. It was the desire for more that scared him. If he started kissing Annie again, he might never stop. Sometimes when they were sitting in the study room, he’d look over at her and let himself daydream. Without fail, a little voice would erupt in the back of his head and whisper, “You’re a monster who craves young flesh. You’ll end up just like your father. You want to ruin her, and for what?” Jeff shackled his desire for Annie, to give her what she deserved. 

He had only slipped up once, the night of the transfer dance. Annie had been a quiet island in an unforgiving storm. Fairy lights illuminating her doe eyes, the familiar press of her soft lips ignited a flame in his stomach. The chains of his restraint snapping, a few moments of bliss. He wasn’t sure if it had been a few minutes or several sunlit days later when they broke apart. Jeff was pulled out of his reverie by a tap on the shoulder. He spun around; the restraints sealing what was left of his heart.

“I understand why Annie picked you over me for this heist. Your romantic tension adds to the tension of a normal heist movie homage.”  _ Shit. How does Abed always know? _ Jeff schooled his features.

“What are you talking about?” Abed seemed unperturbed.

“The heist you guys are planning… to break into city college.” Abed said it as if it wasn’t a big deal. As if they weren’t putting themselves on the line for Greendale… yet again. Jeff lowered his voice.

“Keep your voice down.” Abed cocked his head to one side.

“I knew you would do it. The force of nature heroine and the beleaguered sidekick. A good, but often misused trope.” Since when was he the sidekick? Jeff went to object, but Abed talked over him.

“Keep the plan under wraps so the audience can be surprised when it all comes together.” 

Jeff tried to infuse his tone with as much urgency as possible. “Abed, I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone about… what you suspect Annie, and I are doing.” 

“Depends on how the homage goes. You might need a secondary antagonist that might spill your secret.” With that, Abed walked off. Jeff sighed and carried on walking, Annie was waiting for him by his car.

They filled the drive with tense silence. She should have lectured him about his abysmal driving, and how only listening to Dave Matthews but not the Bare-Naked Ladies made him a hypocrite. Jeff looked over at Annie, knees crossed, her notebook resting on her lap. Tapping her pen against the rings of her notebook. It used to not be like this.  _ She used to not know that you were sleeping with Britta. _

He wanted to tell Annie it had been over before the group even found out. If his relationship with Britta proved anything it was that it would never work between them. It wasn’t Britta’s fault, it was his.

Every time that he thought about confronting her, anger bubbled in his stomach.  _ I wasn’t the only one who fucked up that day. _ It was probably better that they buried what happened. Dusk set in by the time Jeff pulled his car into the desolate gray parking lot of the firm that built City College. The building was an old, one-story concrete block of offices. Cracks in the walls left by the weather. Most of the windows were dark, but some had lights flickering, illuminating bare off-white walls. Before he could make a snarky comment however, Annie turned to him, eyes shining with excitement.

“According to the firm’s website, their office manager is Lisa and according to Facebook Lisa likes cats, the color green, and…” Annie stopped and wrinkled her nose. “half-finished crossword puzzles. Who likes half-finished crossword puzzles?”

“Just because you hit anyone that touches one of your unfinished crosswords, doesn’t mean other people don’t like to share.” He smirked down at her. Several emotions chased each other over Annie’s face before she settled, annoyed. Jeff learned the hard way that it was best to duck and cover if Annie hadn’t completed The New York Times Sunday Crossword before Monday morning. Once he’d gently offered to google the answer, only for Annie to gasp, huff, and lecture him about how “some people care about intellectual stimulation and don’t just cheat their way into success”. Jeff, not wanting Annie’s purple pen to find a new home in his eye socket, had held up his hands and smiled.

“You go distract Lisa and I’ll sneak past to the records room.” Jeff had a million questions, but Annie was already striding towards the doors.

The reception area looked even more dismal than the outside. It must have been nice once upon a time, but the firm had fallen on hard times. The gray carpet was threadbare. The white couches that lined the left wall were stained with what looked dried gravy. The walls bore the same off-white color, but these had clear signs of water damage, and the chandelier was hanging by a single black cable. The beige front desk was littered with little figurines of cats in various poses. Lisa’s, but Lisa herself was not there. 

Jeff looked beside him at Annie. Her eyes glued to a sign on the wall that pointed to records. They looked at each other, smiling. Annie’s cheeks flushed rosy red. Jeff took a couple of shallow breaths. An electric current of nervous delight pulsing through him. He missed this. Without warning, Annie grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him toward the records room. Her hand was soft and warm, her touch shooting little sparks dancing across his skin. A joke formed on the tip of Jeff’s tongue, but he swallowed it.

They reached a door, claiming to be the entrance to the records room. Jeff used his other hand to check the handle. They’d locked it. The idea of having to find Lisa and charm the key off of her made him uncomfortable. He was a flirt and a good one at that, but it felt wrong, doing it in front of Annie. Annie let go of his hand and Jeff mourned the loss of her touch. He looked over to her expecting her to look sad or at least awkward, but her doe eyes were still full of excitement. Her cheeks glowed as she let out a soft giggle. 

Annie straightened up and pulled out of her cardigan a small black pouch. She popped the button and pulled out two slender metal rods and handed Jeff the empty pouch. Then Annie inserted the two thin pieces into the lock and a second later Jeff heard a soft click and the door swung open. Jeff stared open-mouthed at Annie, she smirked up at him. Jeff swallowed thickly and his cheeks heated - he was feeling both terrified and aroused by the sight of Annie’s ruthless criminality. He wanted to press her against the nearest wall and kiss her until he ran out of breath. Then maybe they could… No, those fantasies were locked in the confines of his bedroom. They only damaged those around him.

Annie broke his gaze and plucked her pouch out of his loose grip. She flounced inside the dark room. He followed her and closed the door behind him, inky darkness descended. He could do it now. He could kiss her, and it could stay here in this locked, forgotten storage closet. Annie found the light switch and bathed the room in fluorescent- green tinged light, extinguishing his fantasy.

The room smelled like mold and rotting wet paper, but Annie with her singular focus didn’t seem to notice. Jeff had learned early on that Annie was a bloodhound. Once she got wind of something, she chased it down and didn’t let go until she got what she wanted. Most of the dark gray cabinets were ripped open, their contents spilling onto the floor. Annie scanned the cabinets until she found what she was looking for. She let out a tiny squeal and rushed over. Annie grabbed the cabinet and started pulling on the handle.

“Need some help?” Annie rolled her eyes but stepped aside. It took a few tries, but he forced open the cabinet door. Annie stood close to him, the scent of warm vanilla and orchids wafting into his nose. It was that damn shampoo of hers. It reminded him of twinkling fairy lights and the feel of Annie’s slight frame pressed underneath him after saving her from a toy car bomb. She grabbed various rolled up sheets of paper and stood up. To distract himself, he looked down at his watch.

“Annie, this place is closing in five minutes.” Annie squeaked and jumped to her feet. They raced out of the records room and were almost to the front door when they heard footsteps and loud voices coming from the oncoming hallway. There was no way they could make it out in time. Jeff could feel Annie vibrating with anxiety. Two men, clad in suits, walking towards them. The men were chatting amicably, but they would notice them any second. A calm washed over Jeff. He took one deep breath and wrapped one arm around Annie’s waist. She let out a small squeak. 

“Excuse me,” Jeff said in a relaxed tone “me and my wife got lost on our way out the building.”

“What are you doing?” The older man asked. He didn’t seem angry. Jeff felt Annie relax into his touch. A smile spread across his face.

“We were going over our last-minute remodels with Will.” Jeff coated his voice in confusion. The men looked confused for a second, but then shrugged.

“Just take the next left.”

“Thank you,” The second the men were out of Jeff steered Annie towards the exit and out the door. Dusk had turned to night. They walked to his car, not looking at each other. When they got to the car, Jeff reluctantly let go of Annie and slid into the driver’s seat.

Annie got in and let out a deep breath, and then she laughed. A full-throated laugh that warmed Jeff from the inside out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
